A story about a refugee evangelist from Kenya

From Kenya: a refugee and an evangelist

Our friend “Omondi” (not his real name) has been living in the nearby refugee facility for almost two months now. He is now a firm believer in and follower of the Lord, reaching out to fellow refugees with the Truth of Jesus whenever he can. He candidly shares that it has not always been that way, for he was a “young believer” when he first arrived in Austria over four years ago. But the challenges that he faced here in Austria caused him to seriously grab hold of the promises of God, and he grew in his identity in Christ. Now he is like an evangelist and minister, sharing grace and truth with others, encouraging them often, and inviting them to come to The Oasis and the church nearby as well!

Recently, it was especially encouraging to see him talking with an elderly Austrian man who always comes to The Oasis on Thursday nights. Omondi, along with a Christian refugee friend from Afghanistan, talked and talked with this elderly Austrian, who is not a follower of Jesus yet. They also invited him to church, and low-and-behold, he accepted their invitation and joined the two men at church that Sunday! So, there he was at church, with his cane in hand, sitting right in-between these two Christian refugees, his new friends. This was a real breakthrough, for as much as our staff had tried to share about Jesus with this elderly man, we had not seen any sign of interest from him.

And this week, Omondi befriended a new arrival at the refugee facility, a young man from a far and distant land, a republic that is communist. Although they can only speak through Google Translate, the bond was already there through faith in Christ. Yesterday, his new friend whom I will call “Sheng,” was able to receive a New Testament in his own language. It was an emotional moment for him, as he had been searching for one for YEARS! Now, we have established contact for him with local believers who speak his language, which is much better than Google Translate. So far it has only been telephone contact, but hopefully some of these brethren can come visit him in person.    

May the Lord continue to use Omondi wherever He may lead him! We praise the Lord for all that He is doing, and that He is using Christian refugees to reach out to the people around them, locals and refugees alike, with the love of Christ.

--Ken